Dear Santa-A (Very Late) Christmas Special
by leaffan
Summary: Just a little late (I'm really sorry!) Christmas/New Year's Special for you guys. It includes my usual pairings. In Vermilion City, love is in the air and Dawn, ever the matchmaker, is out to get her friends into a relationship before the end of the year. Of course, a trip to the hospital doesn't help and she might just find herself falling hard for...a client! 5-part short!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1. Let's Take a Picture with Santa**

Standing in line at the mall for a picture with Santa wasn't particularly high on Leaf's preferred list of things to do on her break. Key word, _preferred_.

The same old songs playing on a loop through the loudspeaker of the mall was enough to driver her crazy and caused Leaf to fumble with the dying black hair band around her wrist in order to keep calm. Her eyelid started to twitch and soon her green eyes were roaming everywhere but not even looking.

A hand on her shoulder brought her back to attention and Leaf's body grew ridged.

"Relax, Leaf, stop fidgeting. You look like you committed a crime and the police are doing a line up," Misty said, rolling her eyes and blew a stray piece of red hair out of her eyes.

A short young woman standing next to them looked around uncertainly. "There sure are a lot of girls and women our age."

"That's because the Santa here is _for _those types of females, May," Dawn said and looked ahead on her tiptoes excitedly. "There's only a few more people left!"

Leaf crossed her arms. "Why are we even doing this? Who's playing the Santa? Did he even get a background check? I don't think this is a good idea…"

As her friend trailed off, May rolled her eyes. "Stop trying to find an excuse to leave, Leaf, you'll know the answer to all those questions in a minute. Besides, we're not going to let you leave this mall without this picture and you in it."

Groaning Leaf tried to walk away but Misty tightly latched onto her and dragged her forward with sadistic glee, "It's our turn!" She said and Dawn giggled, handing a slim camera to an irritated man in an elf costume before lightly striding up the steps to the chair.

As Leaf struggled with Misty and May, she didn't notice the young man sitting on the ornate but plastic chair with a smirk. With a cry of victory, Misty shoved Leaf onto the man's lap and she and May quickly posed on either side of the surprised pair while Dawn just laughed, making a peace sign as she stood behind everyone.

_Flash!_

The camera went off and Leaf's life just got a little bit more interesting.

"Hey Leafy," The man said and she let out a shriek, tumbling from off of his lap onto the floor. Her once neat dark brown hair was tangled all around her head from the fall and Leaf winced when she thought of how messed up she looked.

Laughing he got out of the chair and held out one hand while smoothing down his red suit with another. "It's been awhile."

The red haze that had spread across her face became even darker and she blew a piece of her hair away, "Please, Gary, I saw you last week at my birthday party and even that was too much for this year." She muttered and pushed herself up off the floor to glare at Gary and her friends. "What the hell did I say 'bout setting me up?" She said angrily, reverting back to her old small-town dialect.

Clutching her stomach as she giggled, Dawn sat heavily down in the chair. "Oh. My. Arceus. You should have seen your face!" She yelled and then collapsed in a fit of giggles while May patted her back, trying to calm her friend and herself down.

The only one not freaking out was Gary and Misty, one of which was rather irritated by Leaf's lack of joy in seeing him while the other was only mildly amused.

By now the other girls in line were starting to get irritated and complain so Leaf hurriedly scurried up onto her feet and Dawn stopped laughing.

"Come on guys, we'll sort this out in a few hours," Misty said, herding her friends towards the exit before pausing to hold out a slip of paper with a hastily written address. "Meet us here by three. If you don't, Dawn will kill me," She said with a hassled expression and passed it to Gary who had gotten back on the chair by then. Taking it with a nod, Gary turned towards the long line of girls and ignored his friends leave.

…

Sitting in the new cafe on East Street, all four of the young women waited for Gary to come.

Some, much more eagerly than others.

Ignoring the pacing Leaf, Dawn raised a hand for the waiter and leaned back in her chair. "Get whatever you want, the bill's on me," She said to the other women and May immediately whipped up the menu and began ordering. "I'd like the large chocolate cookies that are over there in the display. How many? As many as you've got, including the one on that man's plate."

After a quiet comment from the teenager standing there and hopelessly trying to keep up, May's vein strained against her forehead. "What do you mean you can't do that?! He's not eating it for Christ's sake! Heck, I'm pretty sure he's fallen asleep on his computer."

Sighing as May argued with the manager whom the waiter called over, Misty rubbed at her temples. "You do know that she's going to run you dry, right Dawn? Never mind, you deserve it after all of your scheming to get all of us together with someone before next year."

Dawn rolled her eyes and smirked. "Oh please, May's still the same old May and hasn't grown a month all this time. She'll let in after a while, pout, and only order a bowl of soup or something. Besides, being a match-maker is my job so setting up my friends is what I'm supposed to do."

This comment caused Leaf to stop pacing and suddenly plop into a chair, looking worn out. "You definitely did something today," She muttered and held up a finger for the waiter to take her order of a hot chocolate with _lots _of whip cream and chocolate sauce.

As the waiter finally walked back to the kitchen, the bell on the door rang and a cold gust blew into the room. Stomping his shoes on the mat, Gary paused to locate the women before waving and walking cheerfully over. "So why did three lovely young ladies and an exquisite tree specimen call for my humble self?" he asked and sat in a chair next to Leaf, inching it close to her as he talked.

"Yeah, humble my ass," Leaf remarked and stood up, moved her chair between May and Misty's, and sat back down with a satisfied smirk to meet Gary's twitching eye.

Chuckling knowingly, May set down her menu. "Gary, Leaf really doesn't get your hints so I'd be a bit more forward. Even the smartest kids are quite dense when it comes to _that_."

Gary nodded and clenched his fist in determination but then released it. "Wait…May, what would you know about _that_? You've never fallen!"

Her eye twitched and May stubbornly lifted her chin up a little. "Oh shut up, Dawn's dragged me to enough rom-coms to know what it's supposed to be like."

Head swiveling around to keep track of the conversation about her, Leaf finally gave up and massaged her temples. "If you're done talking nonsense, what the heck is going on?"

Dawn had to get up a little from her seat to reach but she gently patted the taller girl's head. "Don't worry, we'll explain Sweetheart. See, I decided to set you and your "bff" up for a Christmas present. Setting up means that I'm trying to get you two to-"

"I'm not a child, I know what those words mean," Leaf protested and gently stirred her hot cocoa which was set down recently by a different waiter from before, the previous one being consoled by a friend in the corner as she cried from May's outburst of anger directed towards her.

"Besides, my "love" affairs are none of your business," She continued and Misty rubbed her chin, pretending to be wise. "So you _are _having an affair!"

Leaf's body grew ridged and she was positively irate, her hands clenched until her long nails drew blood and her ears as deep red as the rest of her face. She didn't know _why _that comment irritated her so, but it was grating; her friends' constant interest in her relationship status with Gary was annoying enough but recently it had hit an all-time high.

Nearly twenty-four seven they had harassed her over her childhood friend until Leaf had heard all the possible jabs from suggestive eyebrow waggles to out-right date ideas and good spots.

The feelings she felt weren't exactly deep but not as shallow as one might think. To put it simply, she felt oddly betrayed as Gary started to say he agreed with Misty's statement.

"I'm done with you guys," Leaf said in a monotone voice and stood, shoving back her chair and causing a harsh sound as the metal grated against the stone floor. Not bothering to push it back in, Leaf stalked towards the door and shook off Gary's concerned hand before turning the corner and leaving her friends' line of sight.

Once around she was sure they weren't looking, Leaf broke down and ran, thankful to whatever was out there that she was wearing flats that day. As she continued on to the parking garage, Leaf felt something on her face and reached up to wipe it only to draw back and stop, nearly falling into someone. "Hey, watch it!" The man muttered and shoved his way past the young woman.

'Oh God.' She thought and pulled her hand at the feeling of tears. "Why am I crying?" She nearly screamed at a particularly irritating looking cloud but thought better of it, this town already had enough weirdos yelling at the sky without her. That thought brought a small grim smile to her face and Leaf once again wiped her tears away and began to trot at a slower pace to her car.

She wasn't as angry or upset or whatever feelings should come around that time of the month even though it wasn't, but Leaf was still irritated with her friends and needed someone to talk to.

"Hey Fire, can we talk?"

…

"Should I go after her?" Gary asked, halfway out of his seat in concern.

Shaking her head, Dawn took a sip of her coffee. "Leaf just needs some time to cool off. She's still a child about certain things, you should know that the best out of all of us."

May crossed her arms."That was still pretty cruel, even for you Misty."

Misty stared back at everyone stubbornly. "At least I wasn't the one who decided to give Leaf a stupid present like that."

As everyone looked at Dawn, she just ignored them and drank several gulps of her drink before smiling like the Cheshire Cat. "Oh come on, it's going to get a lot more interesting in a few hours. I swear on my antique 'Hello Kitty' clock that I'll get the two together by the end of this year and all will go according to my plan."

Gary shifted in his seat and stuck his hands in his pocket. "So what-exactly-is this plan?"

Her smile grew even wider and Dawn laced her fingers together, leaning on the newly created chin hammock. "Well…"

…

Sighing, Misty pinched the bridge of her nose as she thought of Dawn's "genius" plan and Leaf's reaction but was shaken out of her thoughts by the five year old girl in the backseat screaming, "Mommy, the light's green!" Shooting straight up, Misty pressed on the gas pedal as the car behind her honked and pulled over to another lane. "Thanks sweetie," She said and adjusted the rearview mirror so she could see her daughter better.

The child's blond hair was tied up in a ponytail but hidden under a straw hat and her wide brown eyes were sparkling with excitement. "Do you think Auntie Daisy sent me a Christmas present in the mail?" She asked in the energetic voice that she only used around her mother and Misty laughed, "Yellow, it's not always about the presents!"

Pouting, Yellow clenched her large sketch book tightly. "But everyone else gets presents from both of their parents and their families but I only get them from you and Autie Daisy," She defended her position, suddenly sullen.

This prompted Misty's hands to clench the steering wheel harder even though her eyes softened, "Well Daddy will…he'll…" She had idea how to tell a child that her dad had left them but didn't want to lie so Misty just kept quiet until they reached the post office.

"Do you want to put the package in the drop-off?" Misty asked and Yellow's tiny hand tightened around her larger one, "Yes!" Raising an eyebrow, Misty handed the thick envelope to her daughter before looking back up at the line, "Be careful not to wrinkle it or you might get some coal!" She warned but Yellow just giggled, "I hope it's chocolate flavored."

Pretending to be angry, Misty continued to look away that she didn't notice the absence of the hand until she looked back down to reply, "I don't think Santa wou-" She shrieked and looked around, trying to calm her heart which had sped up faster than Harley's motorcycle on Black Friday.

Looking around she tried to spot the signature large straw hat of her child and think logically. 'Okay, calm down, she'll be okay. She'll be okay.' Misty repeated, even though it was hopeless in getting her to think properly.

Shoving her way through the crowd, she made her way to the counter, ignoring the angry shouts of people behind her. Cheeks flushed red, Misty slammed her hands on the counter to silence the clerk telling her she couldn't cut the line, "Listen, Missy, my daughter is missing and you're either going to announce that a dark blond five year old with a large straw hat is missing and that if she's lost, she should report to here or I'll knock you out and do it myself."

As the woman reached to call the security, Misty leaned forward and stared the woman in the eye, "I'm a mother missing her child…I dare you." She hissed and the clerk felt shivers rack her body at the malice contained within her words, "Calm down Mam, I would do it without the threats." She said and tried to not show fear. 'Don't show fear, she can sense it,' The lady repeated to herself as she made her way to the intercom.

…

A few minutes earlier…

Huffing in indignation at not being paid attention to, Yellow gave her mom a squeeze before slipping her hand out of the much bigger one, 'I'll get it there in no time!' She thought with confidence and inched forward into the crowd, groaning as her cheeks were smushed together almost instantly by the flow of people. "I'll be back soon!" She said quietly and put the letter in her hat before dropping to the floor and crawling in between the constantly moving legs.

A particularly rough kick by an unknown person sent Yellow sprawling on the floor and she puffed out her cheeks, 'That was rude!'

Getting up was getting hard, though, as the building got more crowded by the second and every time she was on her knees, someone would cause her to fall back down with a stomp to her fingers or accidental kick.

'Why won't anyone see me?' Yellow silently cried as the tears began to form in her eyes and a small flow of mucus began to run out of her nose only to be sucked back up by a sniff.

Just as all was lost in her opinion and Yellow remained on the floor in a ball, trying not to be hurt, a large and callused hand was dangled in front of her face. This hand was soon to be followed by a young man crouching down in front of her with a friendly smile, "Do you need help?" He asked and Yellow flashed back to what her mother had said about strangers.

This guy didn't seem like a stranger though, his rich brown eyes were friendly looking and he just…he just felt right.

Nodding, Yellow tentatively put her hand in his and let him pull her up. "Where's your mommy?" He asked and Yellow stared at his wild shock of hair before biting her lip.

The tears that had just dissipated came welling back and he quickly withdrew his hand before waving them about and the man began to make weird faces, "Please don't cry!" He cried out and tried to make her calm down. Sniffling, Yellow laughed at the man's odd reaction, 'Grown-ups are silly.' She thought and gently grabbed his sleeve, looking him in the eyes.

Blinking, he stopped acting weird and looked back at her, "You've lost her?" She nodded and he sighed in relief, "My name's Ash Ketchum. It's okay if you don't want to tell me your name but how about you get on my shoulders so you can see if you can spot your mom?"

Feeling once again as if she could trust him, Yellow agreed to climb up onto his shoulders and grasped his jet black locks tightly, "I'm Yellow." She said quietly and by some miracle, Ash heard her and smiled, reaching up to pat her head before the intercom went off, "Excuse me, if there is a Ms. Yellow listening, please report to the front of the building, your crazy mother is waiting for you there."

A crackle of static and shouting in the background yielded an edit to the original message, "Sorry, your perfectly sane mom is waiting for you near the doors."

Raising and eyebrow, Ash said, "Hold on tight, we're going to get your mommy!" And started jogging towards the entrance and exit, much to Yellow's delight as she bounced around on his shoulders.

…

As Misty turned around in circles she rubbed her arms nervously while she searched to crowd, "Where the heck are you, Yellow?" She said quietly. A bubbly giggle brought her attention almost immediately to a floopy straw hat bobbing through the crowd towards her.

With a relieved cry she made her way to the hat and nearly bumped into the man her daughter was happily riding. "Yellow!" She cried out, at first happy but then she got angry, "Don't you ever do the again!" Misty yelled and the man helped Yellow get down so she could embrace her mom.

This provoked another mood swing and soon Misty was choked up and hugging her so hard the poor child was nearly blue. "M-Mommy let go!" She said and Misty loosened her grip but only slightly before pulling her up into a comfortable carrying position, "Not until we get home." Misty said and turned back to the man standing there smiling at the reunion.

"Thanks so much, I'm really sorry for any trouble she could have caused you." Misty said and looked up into his eyes for the first time only to cringe as he said, "Misty? Is that you?" Nodding, Misty avoided his eyes, "Yeah, hey Ash…It's been awhile."

Stepping back to take in the picture, Ash raised an eyebrow, "She's your child?" Misty tightened her grip on Yellow and gritted her teeth, "Yes." She managed and Ash blinked, "How old is she, five? You're only twenty-three, you must have had her when you were-"Cutting him off, Misty glared, "At least I'm not as young as most parents these days. Besides, I see you've kept that same bad habit of speaking what you think." Turning to leave she looked over her shoulder, "Thanks but we have to be going."

Reaching out a hand to her, Ash left it lingering on her shoulder, "Hey, if you ever need help or anything, my number's still the same." Misty jerked her shoulder out from under his hand and fully turned away, "Thanks but no thanks, I'm too busy."

As she left, Ash ran a hand through his hair and sighed before making one more effort, "I'll be at the Staryubucks in the bookstore tomorrow night around eight if you want to join me." He called out and then sighed again, "I see you've remained the same as well." He murmured and turned back to the line only to see he had lost his spot in line, "Oh crap, now I have to be in the back again." He moaned and started trudging back to the end before stopping as he stepped on a large and bulky envelope.

Puzzled, he picked it up and read the address.

It was the letter Yellow was supposed to put in the mail and tapped to the bottom was another letter.

…

As May locked up the doors to the office, she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise and she whirled around, "Who's there?" Out of the shadows stepped a smirking green-haired twit, "I can't believe how jumpy you are, Red." Gritting her teeth, which seemed to be a shared habit between the four friends, May crossed her arms, "I'm not going on another date with you after the last one."

Flicking a bang, he fluently pulled a rose from inside his sleeve, "For the Queen of Hearts. I hope it's satisfactory for such a lovely temptress." He said mockingly and May ripped it from his hand, throwing it to the ground, "And I hope you would stop already.

"It's been three years so I suggest you take all of the roses from every corner of your too-tight suit and throw them in a bonfire or something. Stop bugging me, if this wasn't a rom-com I would have filed some kind of report for you stalking me." She countered, irritated, and walked away towards her car too soon to see the flash of pain that passed over Drew's face.

"Just one more chance…I just want one more chance." He said and picked up the broken rose before tucking it back into his sleeve.

**And that's the end of this supper late Christmas Special! This is just part one of the three-five part little special so don't worry that Dawn's section wasn't in this. Hers is one of the last because love between her and Paul doesn't come easily. **

**I'm sorry for this being really late, I meant to work on it but school crammed in these benchmarks and projects and then when break came, I couldn't come up with a good way to start and I literally have fifteen different documents with all types of starts to this short. Because I got stuck, I decided to set this aside and work on something else but then I forgot and then remembered about it on 12/28 around eleven at night.**

**Yeah…Sorry 'bout that.**

**By the way, don't ever trust strangers like Yellow and unless you're filming for a movie, please, please, please report any creepy stalkers.**

**Did I do an okay job with separating dialogue? Please review and tell me!**

**Happy Holidays and A (Early) Happy New Year!**


	2. Chapter 2

Once again, I don't own Pokemon and I apologize for how much this chapter skips around :)

**Chapter 2. 'Dear Santa'**

Flustered, Dawn took a second to pull her hair back into an almost neat bun, "What the hell is the temperature in here?" She muttered and fanned her neck before gulping down the last of her water.

Business that day was extra busy since apparently every single woman in the small suburban town had wanted to have an extra person to spend money on for Christmas.

"God I have no idea why an extra stocking to stuff is a good thing." Leaning back in her chair, Dawn pulled her legs up and closed her eyes. 'Finally peace and quiet.'

_Ring-a-ling-ling. _The door-bell went off and the transparent glass entrance covered with Christmas-colored hearts opened, bringing in yet another customer.

"Oh for the love of God, go away! We're closed, no exceptions! Leave already!" Dawn snapped, her normally peppy attitude gone due to the overheated shop and unusually high number of customers looking for "Mr. or Ms. Right".

An annoyed noise and sardonic reply caused her to open an eye as a deep male voice said, "I can definitely see how you received a perfect score for customer service." A long pause brought Dawn's other eye open but she had yet to move.

Exhaling, the man's smirking face seemed to sink away and become replaced by a more irritated and humorless cold mask as she didn't laugh or make an effort to pay any extra attention to him. "The sign said you were open until eight at night."

Pushing her chair around until it began to spin in circles, Dawn closed her eyes again, "So?"

"And it's only twelve p.m."

"We're out for lunch, come back later."

Exhasperated internally, the man pushed a strand of slightly long purple hair away from his thin, square rimmed glasses and adjusted his hold on a thick book, "I want to speak to the manager." He replied stubbornly and Dawn's chair came abruptly to a halt and she opened her eyes, placed her feet on the ground, and stood up without even the slightest hint of nausea, "How about the owner instead? What do you want?"

Instead of usual surprised gasp or widening of the eyes, his expression didn't change and Dawn smirked, lacing her fingers together as he replied steadily, "I would like to apply for your program."

Grabbing a pen and a clipboard, Dawn looked closely at him, "Name?"

"Paul Shinji." Nodding she filled out the form and handed it to him, "Fill out the rest and we'll possibly contact you back."

Looking around, Paul grabbed a small cookie in a wrapper from a try and stuffed it in his jacket pocket, "Is there anywhere to sit?"

Acting quickly, Dawn shoved her chair in and sat quickly down on the only other chair, "Nope, too bad. I guess you'll just have to stand." She giggled and Paul sighed, "You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?"

"Nope. You interest me and I never _ever _make it easy for those whom I'm interested in."

…

Shuffling through her cookbook, Leaf paused for a second to say, "What do you want, Gary?" before cracking another egg with a little more force than the last. Raising an eyebrow, Gary set a nicely wrapped package on the table and leaned against the wall, "How did you know? I tried so hard to make sure you didn't notice."

Leaf chuckled and threw the egg shell remains into the trash, "Because you're you. When we were kids you would always try that trick, climbing in through the back screen door. I could also hear you curse when you discovered the screen had been replaced."

This brought an awkward silence as they both remembered being younger until Gary coughed, "Am I forgiven?"

The bowl in Leaf's hand shook so she set it down and turned around to face Gary, hopping onto the empty space on the counter where she use to always sit, "For what? I'm only angry at Misty, May, and Dawn but it's not like I'm outraged, just a little bit irritated."

Sighing, Gary smiled a little bit, remembering what they had said about Leaf's innocence, "What's wrong with us being seen together now? They can say what they want but it will never change our real relationship."

The knot on her apron was beginning to dig into her back so Leaf used it as an excuse not to look at Gary as she said, "But what _is _our status?"

Gary's mouth suddenly went dry.

How do you respond to that kind of question? Ex-best friends? Are they still best friends? Acquaintances?

Leaf sighed. "Exactly. If it's awkward to even discuss our relationship, we probably aren't a couple. Besides, it's not like we ever liked each other that way, right?" The last sentence caused her to look away and jump off the counter to check on her cake.

It wasn't true, though, and both of them knew it.

"I brought you some sweets from that café yesterday," Gary said quietly and stood up, reaching for the door. Pausing he waited for Leaf to call him back like she always used to but this time she didn't make a move to grab him. With a deep sigh he opened the door and left. "See you later."

Hands shaking, Leaf set the cake on the counter and put her head in her hands, "I'm sorry."

…

"That's right, Yellow, there probably will be a good end-" Misty was cut off by a knock on her door. Standing up she handed the book to Yellow and opened the door only to groan, "Ash, what are you doing here?"

Running a hand through his hair, Ash blushed and held out the two letters. "Yellow accidentally dropped these when she got lost."

Now it was Misty's turn to groan and she took the envelopes from his hand. "Thanks," She said and set it down. "Is there anything else you wanted?"

Shifting Ash nodded, "Um…Yeah. I was wondering if you would mind going on a d-d-date on Christmas Eve with me to the St. Anne which is docking here for only two da-"

"Have you ever been on a date before?" Misty asked incredulously and Ash's face turned beet red and his head bobbed up and down. "I've asked people out on a date, they just haven't…Never mind." Pausing he added hopefully, "See you tonight?"

"Okay, fine. I might be late since I have to get Yellow's babysitter."

Grinning, Ash waved and started to walk down the porch stairs before tripping and nearly falling, catching himself on the banister last minute. "I meant to do that!" He called out and Misty laughed as she closed the door.

'Ash Ketchum, you are one odd person.'

..

"Argh, he's so annoying," May grumbled and nearly broke the pen in her hand. "Hey, stead with the pen!" Dawn cried out and May ignored her, signing the receipt and taking her bag of clothes off the counter.

Laughing, Misty raised an eyebrow, "And what did the Great Drew Hayden do?"

May clenched her bag tightly, "He exists. Last night he waited for me after work like a stalker. Then he tried to give me another one of his infernal roses."

Now Leaf was also laughing, "Are you serious? That's why he's so annoying? I would kill for a guy to be that sweet. The only one who does something like that is Fire and he just takes me out for dinner on my birthday."

Tilting her head to the side, Dawn smiled, "And who's this mysterious Fire? A single person in your man-harem?" Leaf's face grew red and she looked away stubbornly, "You're the one with a man-harem. Besides, he's none of your business."

Dawn waggled her eyebrows and got out a phone, "Just a friend, huh?" Smirking she texted Gary about this new man and then shut the phone off to keep the flood of messages she knew would come from becoming obvious to the other girls.

"So May, how do you plan to handle this pain?" Leaf asked and May crossed her arms, "Murder. I'm planning to find a hit-man soon." Astonishment shone on Misty's face and she nearly said 'Are you kidding?' but then realized her friend wasn't. Her face was so dead serious, everyone was silent for a moment.

"May, you have issues." Dawn said, sighing, and rubbed her eyes but then spotted something out of the corner of her eye, "Oh hey, that looks fun!" She giggled and ran off. Running after her, May was ready to murder her friend when Dawn put May's down for a Secret Santa even from her work. "I hate you so much right now." May said, eye twitching and Dawn just smiled, "That's okay, you can thank me at your wedding by making me the bridesmaid of honor."

"Argh, Dawn!"

…

"So what do you think I should get May?" Drew asked and Dawn smiled, "I recommend something romantic. Christmas Eve is the day after tomorrow and I'm throwing a party so perhaps you could get her under the mistletoe."

A ring on Dawn's phone brought her attention away from Drew, "Hey, I'll see you later, I've got to go." She said and got up, walking quickly away.

Punching in her code, Dawn scrolled down until she could find the latest e-mail.

'I should have used the push notifications'

Opening it up she smiled:

'_Dear Hopeless Romantic,_

_ I just recently received your e-mail asking me for help concerning your friends. My response will be published in the online edition of 'Dear Santa' but here it is as well. While your request for help was much more thoughtful and well-written compared to the many others I've received, I think you should let nature take its natural course instead of rushing things. _

_ Your concern is admirable and I can tell you're a wonderful friend, your friends are lucky to have you :). On a side note, there's no such thing as a "hopeless romantic", just a 'hopeful romantic'. _

_ I'm coming to your area and might stop by your shop you wrote about sometime around Christmas. _

_Have a good rest of the year and I hope everything works out well,_

_ "Santa"_

"He's coming," Dawn said in wonder, her face lit up just like a child's. She had been communicating with the writer of the 'Dear Santa' column ever since a child and soon she would be able to meet him. 'Nothing can ruin today,' Dawn grinned and then stopped dead in her tracks.

Well, one purple haired jerk could.

Note: Yes, I know that Drew was acting like Gary but Gary can't always hit on a girl for every minute of the day and Drew can't always make fun of May. As he grows up, so does his way of handling May. When he does hit on her, I care to think that he says witty comments that make her blush but also go "Hey!" but this short special has broken most of their normal behavioral laws so why not?!

Also, I know Dawn and Paul's relationship is going a little fast but some people take ages while others instantly click. I didn't say it was easy which is probably why they love each other so much, it isn't very easy for either of them.

P.S.-Paul's a jerk but I think he is secretly the quiet but kind type around Dawn once his ice is melted.

**Chapter 3. A Present from Your Secret Santa**

"Hey Leaf, who's Fire?" Gary asked, sitting at Leaf's kitchen table with her. Raising an eyebrow, Leaf took a sip of her tea, "Why do you want to know?"

Once again, the long winded sigh escaped from his chapped lips. "Maybe I want to know so I can visit him late at night and tell him that if he hurts you, I'll do a large number of painful things to him."

Laughing, Leaf nearly choked on her tea, "Yeah, like you'd ever hurt someone. If anyone committed any violent acts, it would either be me or Misty." Gary stood up and grinned, "Thanks for inviting me over for brunch; it was great being able to catch up again." Leaf held out a hand, "Merry nearly Christmas, Gary." Instead of shaking her hand, Gary pulled Leaf into a hug, "Maybe only you're against Dawn's suggestions," He said quietly and quickly left, leaving the back door open behind him.

Standing there in shock, Leaf stared at the open door for several minutes before sitting down heavily in the chair, yelping as she nearly missed the seat. This time, instead of anger or sadness that always came when he visited, she felt something that hadn't come up since high school.

Guilt.

'Why can't things ever be simple for us.' She thought. Being childhood friends was never easy when you were of the opposite gender.

…

"Ugh…Purple-haired git…" Dawn moaned and turned, yelling when she fell off of the chair and hit her head on the cold ground. Instead of home, she was inside the shop and… "Oh crap," She said, spotting the slender purple-haired man lying on her floor. He looked so vulnerable and closer to his age without his usual smirk or dark expression. Instead, his face was practically scrunched up in pain from whatever nightmare he was experiencing.

Without any thought, Dawn crouched down and stared at his face. 'He's at least as young as me.' She thought and unconsciously brushed several strands of hair out of his face.

This was, apparently, a very bad idea.

As his eyes opened, Dawn scrambled to get as far away as she could but only ended up falling back, nearly kicking him in the face.

"What the hell did you do?!" Paul yelled and sat up quickly, more panic than anger on his face.

Dawn's eye twitched and she crossed her arms, "Oh yeah, ask the owner of this place what she's doing _being inside her own building _while a random stranger-which is you-is lying on the floor asleep. For all I know you could have defil-"

"Oh please, like I'd do that to a skinny little runt like you." Paul interjected and stood up, crossing his arms like Dawn. "Besides, I was here by your permission. I had stopped by to see if you made any progress and I ended up staying and helping you move boxes."

"Oh," Dawn said and then uncrossed her arms. "Thanks." Then her eyes widened as she remembered something, "Hey, your name's Paul Shinji, right?"

Raising an eyebrow Paul said, "_No_, I'm Pikachu."

Glaring, Dawn tapped a finger on her arm, "Then…Hey, you were my writing tutor during my first few years at college!"

"_Really?_ I thought I wa-"

"Cut the sarcasm, Paul," Dawn said and grinned, "It's sort of nice to see you and your unpleasant self again."

Paul raised an eyebrow, "So now that you remember me, does that mean I get a discount?" Shaking her head, Dawn laughed, "Nope. I doubt you can even get a girl with your attitude. I mean, the bad boy act is cute but you do it to an extreme."

A rare thing then happened and Paul smiled, waggling he eyebrows, "So I'm cute?"

Dawn broke into a fit of giggles, "Oh my God, that was soo out of character." She laughed and Paul went back to being stoic, "Whatever. Have you found anyone that fits my descriptions yet?" Going into business mode, Dawn bit her lip, "Well, you're kind of hard to please. Most of the females that come here are quite a bit different from what you want so I'm not sure I can easily find someone like that…" she trailed off and Paul pulled himself into a standing position, "That's funny, I have one person in mind who would fit everything." He said quietly and Dawn looked up, "What did you say?"

"Never mind. Do you want to go get breakfast? My treat."

"Oh yeah!" Dawn said excitedly and tied her hair up in the usual messy bun.

"By the way, are you ever going to get those designs made?" Paul asked and the smile fell off of her face temporarily only to be replaced by a more shallow one, "What're you talking about?"

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Paul yawned, "One of the boxes you had me carry was full of sketches for clothing. A lot of them were actually pretty good…"

Biting her lip, Dawn tried to steer the conversation away from her, "What do you do? On your application you left it blank."

"I'm a free-lance writer."

…

Sighing, May turned around in her chair to face Drew, "My cubicle wall is going to break from all the weight you're putting on it, fatso."

Drew smirked and flicked his bangs, "I'm pretty sure you weigh more than me, Red." May's eye twitched but she calmly replied with, "You must really be a masochist. I recommend getting help."

Much to his credit, Drew took her comments in stride, "I'm thinking one romantic dinner watching you stuff your face would cure me, Doc."

"I'm not a certified doctor, the last patient I had ended up dead in an alley so they refused to give me a certificate," May replied and turned her chair around to face him, "Do you even _think _before you speak? Everything that's come out of your mouth these last few years has been nothing but cheesy one-liners."

"It's such a pity they died, you probably crushed the dreams of many other men besides me," Drew smirked and fingered the rose pin on his pocket. "Could you please just hang out with me on Christmas Eve? Your Secret Santa has a few surprises for you."

Groaning, May smacked his arm, "You aren't supposed to say who's Secret Santa you are!" she said, agitated. "Whatever, just be out by the dock on Christmas Eve," Drew said and left, leaving May to stare at the empty space where he had been.

"You do know it will turn out as badly as last time, right?" She murmured and was about to turn back to her work when something caught her off guard.

On the corner of her desk was a small rose-red package with fancy script running across the top and reading: _For May from her Secret Santa_.

For the first time, May smiled over something connected to her old boyfriend.

Opening her agenda she made sure to clear Christmas Eve night.

**Sorry there wasn't anything for Misty, she and Ash are on the easy road compared to everyone else. Everyone's pasts won't be explored in this special due to the fact that this is just a spin-off with absolutely no connection to a fanfic that hasn't been published yet and is still in the planning phases. Please look forward to it, though!**


	3. Chapter 3

Note: Yes, I know that Drew was acting like Gary but Gary can't always hit on a girl for every minute of the day and Drew can't always make fun of May. As he grows up, so does his way of handling May. When he does hit on her, I care to think that he says witty comments that make her blush but also go "Hey!" but this short special has broken most of their normal behavioral laws so why not?!

Also, I know Dawn and Paul's relationship is going a little fast but some people take ages while others instantly click. I didn't say it was easy which is probably why they love each other so much, it isn't very easy for either of them.

P.S.-Paul's a jerk but I think he is secretly the quiet but kind type around Dawn once his ice is melted.

**Chapter 3. A Present from Your Secret Santa**

"Hey Leaf, who's Fire?" Gary asked, sitting at Leaf's kitchen table with her. Raising an eyebrow, Leaf took a sip of her tea, "Why do you want to know?"

Once again, the long winded sigh escaped from his chapped lips. "Maybe I want to know so I can visit him late at night and tell him that if he hurts you, I'll do a large number of painful things to him."

Laughing, Leaf nearly choked on her tea, "Yeah, like you'd ever hurt someone. If anyone committed any violent acts, it would either be me or Misty." Gary stood up and grinned, "Thanks for inviting me over for brunch; it was great being able to catch up again." Leaf held out a hand, "Merry nearly Christmas, Gary." Instead of shaking her hand, Gary pulled Leaf into a hug, "Maybe only you're against Dawn's suggestions," He said quietly and quickly left, leaving the back door open behind him.

Standing there in shock, Leaf stared at the open door for several minutes before sitting down heavily in the chair, yelping as she nearly missed the seat. This time, instead of anger or sadness that always came when he visited, she felt something that hadn't come up since high school.

Guilt.

'Why can't things ever be simple for us.' She thought. Being childhood friends was never easy when you were of the opposite gender.

…

"Ugh…Purple-haired git…" Dawn moaned and turned, yelling when she fell off of the chair and hit her head on the cold ground. Instead of home, she was inside the shop and… "Oh crap," She said, spotting the slender purple-haired man lying on her floor. He looked so vulnerable and closer to his age without his usual smirk or dark expression. Instead, his face was practically scrunched up in pain from whatever nightmare he was experiencing.

Without any thought, Dawn crouched down and stared at his face. 'He's at least as young as me.' She thought and unconsciously brushed several strands of hair out of his face.

This was, apparently, a very bad idea.

As his eyes opened, Dawn scrambled to get as far away as she could but only ended up falling back, nearly kicking him in the face.

"What the hell did you do?!" Paul yelled and sat up quickly, more panic than anger on his face.

Dawn's eye twitched and she crossed her arms, "Oh yeah, ask the owner of this place what she's doing _being inside her own building _while a random stranger-which is you-is lying on the floor asleep. For all I know you could have defil-"

"Oh please, like I'd do that to a skinny little runt like you." Paul interjected and stood up, crossing his arms like Dawn. "Besides, I was here by your permission. I had stopped by to see if you made any progress and I ended up staying and helping you move boxes."

"Oh," Dawn said and then uncrossed her arms. "Thanks." Then her eyes widened as she remembered something, "Hey, your name's Paul Shinji, right?"

Raising an eyebrow Paul said, "_No_, I'm Pikachu."

Glaring, Dawn tapped a finger on her arm, "Then…Hey, you were my writing tutor during my first few years at college!"

"_Really?_ I thought I wa-"

"Cut the sarcasm, Paul," Dawn said and grinned, "It's sort of nice to see you and your unpleasant self again."

Paul raised an eyebrow, "So now that you remember me, does that mean I get a discount?" Shaking her head, Dawn laughed, "Nope. I doubt you can even get a girl with your attitude. I mean, the bad boy act is cute but you do it to an extreme."

A rare thing then happened and Paul smiled, waggling he eyebrows, "So I'm cute?"

Dawn broke into a fit of giggles, "Oh my God, that was soo out of character." She laughed and Paul went back to being stoic, "Whatever. Have you found anyone that fits my descriptions yet?" Going into business mode, Dawn bit her lip, "Well, you're kind of hard to please. Most of the females that come here are quite a bit different from what you want so I'm not sure I can easily find someone like that…" she trailed off and Paul pulled himself into a standing position, "That's funny, I have one person in mind who would fit everything." He said quietly and Dawn looked up, "What did you say?"

"Never mind. Do you want to go get breakfast? My treat."

"Oh yeah!" Dawn said excitedly and tied her hair up in the usual messy bun.

"By the way, are you ever going to get those designs made?" Paul asked and the smile fell off of her face temporarily only to be replaced by a more shallow one, "What're you talking about?"

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Paul yawned, "One of the boxes you had me carry was full of sketches for clothing. A lot of them were actually pretty good…"

Biting her lip, Dawn tried to steer the conversation away from her, "What do you do? On your application you left it blank."

"I'm a free-lance writer."

…

Sighing, May turned around in her chair to face Drew, "My cubicle wall is going to break from all the weight you're putting on it, fatso."

Drew smirked and flicked his bangs, "I'm pretty sure you weigh more than me, Red." May's eye twitched but she calmly replied with, "You must really be a masochist. I recommend getting help."

Much to his credit, Drew took her comments in stride, "I'm thinking one romantic dinner watching you stuff your face would cure me, Doc."

"I'm not a certified doctor, the last patient I had ended up dead in an alley so they refused to give me a certificate," May replied and turned her chair around to face him, "Do you even _think _before you speak? Everything that's come out of your mouth these last few years has been nothing but cheesy one-liners."

"It's such a pity they died, you probably crushed the dreams of many other men besides me," Drew smirked and fingered the rose pin on his pocket. "Could you please just hang out with me on Christmas Eve? Your Secret Santa has a few surprises for you."

Groaning, May smacked his arm, "You aren't supposed to say who's Secret Santa you are!" she said, agitated. "Whatever, just be out by the dock on Christmas Eve," Drew said and left, leaving May to stare at the empty space where he had been.

"You do know it will turn out as badly as last time, right?" She murmured and was about to turn back to her work when something caught her off guard.

On the corner of her desk was a small rose-red package with fancy script running across the top and reading: _For May from her Secret Santa_.

For the first time, May smiled over something connected to her old boyfriend.

Opening her agenda she made sure to clear Christmas Eve night.

**Sorry there wasn't anything for Misty, she and Ash are on the easy road compared to everyone else. Everyone's pasts won't be explored in this special due to the fact that this is just a spin-off with absolutely no connection to a fanfic that hasn't been published yet and is still in the planning phases. Please look forward to it, though!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4. "I Saw Auntie Beating up Santa Clause!"**

"Hey Leaf, can I leave Yellow with you tonight?" Misty asked and Leaf smiled, "Sure, I'd be glad to watch her. It'll be girls night, we don't need any men in our lives!"

Sweat-dropping, Misty sighed, "Thanks." She turned to Yellow and handed her a bag, "Will you be okay staying with Auntie Leaf? I'll be back for Christmas morning, I promise." Nodding, Yellow smiled and took the bag, "Yep, me and Auntie will have fun without guys!"

Misty laughed, "Leaf, be careful what you teach her or by whatever you believe in, you'll be hung by your toes." She said quietly to her friend and waved as she left in her car.

Turning to the young child, Leaf grinned, "Ready to watch a whole bunch of action movies?" Clenching her fists tightly in excitement, Yellow grinned back. "Yeah!" And the two ran to the couch and started up a James Bond movie.

…

"That's really cool. I'm from the Sinnoh Region too," Dawn said and tucked a stray piece of hair out of her eyes, smiling at Paul who was driving the car towards the store.

"I can't believe how late stores remain open here in Kanto," Paul muttered and she laughed, causing him to be momentarily distracted, "Kanto is pretty different but in a good way, I really enjoy the old-world feel sometimes. The lights here are beautiful, especially when they send the lanterns off on New Year's."

Tapping a finger on the steering wheel, Paul watched Dawn's face closely, "Sometimes they say those lanterns land in Unova and in turn, they send them out to sea towards whatever country is nearest."

Just as excepted, her face lit up like the lanterns they were talking about. "Have you ever seen one?"

Smiling ever-so slightly, he turned into the parking lot, "Yep, on one of my trips I visited Unova and watched them send all the lanterns off."

Dawn paused as they parked before unbuckling her seat belt, "You know, I've never gotten this close to a customer before. Thanks for driving me. By the way, we're going to have to visit the hospital after this."

Paul blinked, "Yeah, I guess I've never really had a friend of the opposite sex before in such a short period of time." He paused, processing what she had just said, "Wait…Why?"

Dawn shrugged, "Just a hunch, I gave a bad suggestion to a friend and he might have actually gone through with it."

As they got out and walked towards the store, Dawn's hand reached out and she grabbed onto Paul's sleeve, blushing when she realized what she had done. Looking down his eyes widened in surprise then went back to normal. She looked just as vulnerable as him when he had been sleeping.

"Thanks," She said quietly and let go, turning away and walking briskly to the doors of the convenience store.

Even though Paul didn't physically smile, he felt his body get just a little bit warmer from her comment. "You're welcome, Troublesome."

Turning around, Dawn pouted, "Hey, my name's Dawn!"

"But Troublesome suits you much better."

"Fine, but only just this once you can call me Troublesome."

"I'm pretty sure I don't need your permission, Troublesome."

Even though she pretended to be angry, Dawn couldn't help but blush. 'It might not be easy for your future partner but I kind of…envy her.'

…

_Ding~Dong_

Opening the door, Leaf was greeted by Professor Oak standing on her porch, "Hello Leafy, could I stay the night?" Stammering, Leaf closed the door behind him as he entered with several bags, "S-sure…Why?"

"Oh, I'm just here on business and Gary said he had something planned for tonight so I thought I might check up on you." He said and Leaf nodded, "Well, make yourself at home. Yellow is staying over while Misty goes on a date so please try not to be eccentric around her."

Making a face then laughing, Professor Oak made his way upstairs to the guest bedroom, "Thanks!" he called back down and Leaf sweat-dropped as she heard the door close with a slam and the bathroom shower start. 'That man goes and comes as he pleases.' She thought with exasperation.

Several Hours Later…

_Thump._

_Thump._

_Thump._

Leaf shot strait out of bed as she heard something downstairs. Grabbing a pair of yoga pants to put on under her long t-shirt, she tip-toed out of her bedroom and checked Yellow's room to make sure the girl was okay. After confirming her condition, Leaf crept back into her room to grab her old can of pepper spray and old bat.

It was only ten o'clock so it wasn't Santa and she could hear Professor Oak snoring away so who was it?

Instead of calling the police like a logical person, Leaf quietly slipped down the stairs only to nearly shriek as she saw a dark silhouette coming from the chimney. Since "his" back was turned away, Leaf snuck up behind him and yelled, "What the hell are you doing here?!" As he turned around in surprise, she sprayed the pepper spray at him and then, taking advantage of the situation, she began to mercilessly beat him with the bat.

"Oww! Leaf, stop! It's me!"

The voice sounded vaguely familiar but Leaf kept hitting him, ignoring Yellow and Professor Oak who had come down during all the confusion, "Auntie, what's going on?" Yellow asked and Leaf didn't reply to her, only the man, "Who's me?"

"It's me, G-Gary Oak!"

"Oh…Crap."

Turning the lights on, Professor Oak and Yellow stared at the man passed out on the floor from Leaf-inflicted wounds.

"Oh Leaf, _again_?!"

…

Shivering, May stared out at the dark water when someone touched her shoulder. Jumping, she nearly fell over the edge only to instantly heat up when Drew's laugh echoed across the dock. "Drew Hayden!" She yelled and Drew smirked, flicking a bang, "Hey, don't wear my name out; a new one costs a ton, Red." Gently slapping his arm, May said, "Where are we going?"

"Well, I was thinking a nice dinner on the-"

Bzz.

May's cell phone rang and May interrupted Drew by opening it up to read the text before groaning, "You would've thought Gary had learned after he tried that several years ago. Sorry Drew, I have to go to the hospital."

Raising an eyebrow, Drew flicked a bang away from his eyes, "What happened?"

May waved a hand dismissively, "Oh, my friend just accidentally beat her childhood friend into a near-comatose state." Gapping, Drew pulled out his keys, "I'll drive you, I insist." Instead of arguing, May agreed for once.

…

"Thanks for taking me out, Ash. It's been great seeing you again," Misty said and gave Ash a quick hug. Grinning like a high schooler, Ash scratched his head, "Are you sure it was okay?" Smiling gently, Misty stood on her tip toes and lightly kissed his cheek, "How's that for an answer?"

Standing there in astonishment, Ash blinked, "Was it good enough for another date?" Misty bit her lip, "Ash, you're a really great guy and you'd make some girl really happy. It's not that I don't like you, it's just…Me and Yellow are a two person family and I'm not sure how she would take you just entering our lives…Perhaps in time but don't rush things. I'm sorr-"Her phone went off and Misty checked the text message before sucking in a deep breath, "Oh God, Leaf. How could you do that again?"

"Wait, what happened?" Ash asked, confused by the sudden change of mood. Sighing, Misty rubbed her temples, "Leaf, my best friend, just knocked the living daylights out of a prospective suitor with a metal bat. I think I have to go visit her in the hospital before she starts crying."

Holding back a scared laugh, Ash said, "Would you mind if I drove you to the hospital? I hear that's the only place cafeteria food tastes good…" Smiling, Misty laced her fingers through Ash's, "Sure, but just this once you get to drive."

"Deal."

…

"Hey, how much of the party did we miss?" May asked, walking into the hospital room with Drew close behind. Dawn, Paul, Misty, Ash, Professor Oak, and Yellow were all crowded around Leaf who was sitting by Gary. He was lying on a bed with several broken limbs and a lot of bandages wrapped around his body.

Holding back a laugh, Dawn pulled out a bow, "You're just in time." Dawn grinned and stuck the red bow on Gary's head, "Merry Christmas, Leaf, here's your present. I hope you take good care of him!" Sighing, Paul pulled her away from the bed, "Don't give people away without their adoption papers, Troublesome." He said and Dawn laughed, flicking his forehead at his use of her "nickname".

Misty and Ash were in the corner playing with Yellow who was excitedly retelling the events of the night, "And then me and Grandpa Oak heard a lot of cursing and screams so we ran down! Then I saw Auntie beating up Santa Clause-" then she paused as Gary said, "Hey Leaf, as punishment for hurting me so badly, how about a kiss?"

Flushing, Leaf was about to cause more external wounds and some internal bleeding when her friends laughed and chanted, "Kiss the girl!"

Raising an eyebrow, Leaf leaned in close to Gary, "I think they believe you're the female in the relationship." He reached a hand out and brought her, hugging her with the one arm that wasn't in a cast as they kissed. Coming back up for air he smiled, "As long as it's a relationship with you, I don't care who's who."

As the grown-ups laughed at Leaf's flushed face and Gary's earnest one, Yellow giggled, "I just saw Auntie kissing Santa Clause!" which caused the laughter to get louder.

Just noticing Gary's Santa costume, May asked, "Why're you wearing that?"

Looking down sheepishly, Gary chuckled, "Well, a few years ago Leaf really wanted to see Santa so I dressed up like him and surprised her. Apparently, you should never surprise shrubbery because no matter who you are, you'll get beaten to a pulp. This year I wanted to get her a better present than that Fire guy so I-"

"Why would you want to get me a better present than Fire?" Leaf interjected quizzically and Gary blinked, "He's your boyfriend, isn't he?" Her face soon broke into a smile and Leaf started to laugh, holding her stomach, "Oh God no! Fire's my cousin!"

"Oh…"

Dawn laughed, "Hey, I have a present for everyone. Come on, I'll meet you up on the hospital roof." She said and pulled Paul away with her to the roof, leaving them all to shrug and follow her.

The last couple to leave were Leaf and Gary because she had to help him walk. "You know, that was really sweet," Leaf said and Gary grinned, "So does that mean you'll consider a date?"

Raising an eyebrow, Leaf smiled, "Maybe…"

"Oh come on!" He complained and May turned around, "Hey guys, hurry up!" She said and turned back to Drew who was arguing with her over ready-made coffee and the kind you had to make yourself.

Leaf smiled, "Come on, our friends are waiting for us." She said and together, the two stepped onto the roof.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5. The Best Present This Year Wasn't from Sagnta, it Was from You.**

Stepping onto the roof, Leaf gasped and hugged Gary. Dawn was standing next to a smug Paul and they had tons of packages full of fireworks, "Grap whatever you want, I already cleared this with the hospital," she said happily and started handing out different sized packages.

Misty, Ash, and Yellow were chasing each other around with the sparklers and drawing shapes, laughing while May set off several large fireworks and they fell to the side at the last minute, the sparks nearly frying Drew.

When reprimanded for it, she just shrugged and said, "Hey, we're at a hospital anyway."

"Hey Yellow, how's this for a great Christmas Eve?" Leaf asked and Yellow grinned, her pale cheeks ruddy, "I got what I wanted ahead of time!" Raising an eyebrow, Leaf cocked her head to the side, "And what was that?"

"Mommy got a boyfriend!" Yellow said happily and skipped back to her mom and Ash to join them making hearts in the air.

…

"Hey Paul, what do you think?" Dawn asked, her cheeks flushed as she leaned against the rail. Smiling, Paul stuck his hands in his pockets, "Nice job, you really are professional. There's just one thing, you never got back to me."

Stunned, Dawn blinked, "Oh God, I'm so sorry, Paul. I totally fo-" she was cut off by an e-mail notification.

It was from the writer of 'Dear Santa'

_Dear Dawn,_

_I said I would be in town for Christmas Eve. I was lying when I said that. In fact, I was in town this entire week. _

_Spending time with you._

_Santa_

Looking up, Dawn stared at Paul with wide eyes. He had just tucked away his phone and was trying to avoid her eyes, looking around uncomfortably.

"Are you angry?" He finally ventured only to have Dawn hug him unceremoniously. "Are you kidding me? I'm ecstatic that I got to spend time with my "pen pal" for a few days. The only problem is…"

"Is?"

"You're searching for a girlfriend, right?"

Laughing, a real laugh that was without any mocking undertones, Paul hugged Dawn tighter, "Did you look over that sheet closely?"

"No, wh-"

"Because it perfectly describes you."

Dawn's eyes widened even further and she hugged him even tighter, "Ugh, you Purple-haired twit!" She said lovingly and was about to say more when a firework went off and everyone ran to the railing to watch. "I'm assuming you orchestrated that?" Paul asked and Dawn grinned.

"Perhaps."

…

Looking at the fireworks and their happy friends, Leaf snuggled up close to Gary, "Hey Gary…"

"Yeah?"

"If this was your Christmas Special present, I can't wait to see what you have planned for New Year's Eve and the year a few hours later…"

"Don't! Just don't!"

Leaf laughed along with everyone else and brushed some of his hair away from his eyes, "I'm kidding. That's still so far away so let's just focus on the present, 'kay?"

"Mmm…That's kind of hard to say to a wounded person who might die at any moment…"

"Oh please, stop it before I change my mind and leave you up here without any help."

"You'd never do that to me."

Laughing, Leaf leaned up to peck him once again on the lips, "Perhaps, you never know. The future leaves lots of room for change."


End file.
